What is a Marketing Manager?

If you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and being responsible for the success of your team (or even a company as a whole), then you may be a good fit in a position as a marketing manager. Individuals in this profession are responsible for creating innovative pricing strategies to maximize profits.

Depending on your exact position, though, you may have additional roles and responsibilities. So, understanding these responsibilities as well as learning the exact process for how to become a marketing manager is important before committing to the pursuit.

To put it simply, a marketing manager is someone who manages the bulk of the marketing for a business or product.

As a marketing manager, you may be responsible for overseeing the campaigns for several products or services or just a single product.

In any case, it is important that you are extremely outgoing, inventive, and spontaneous in nature. It is also important that you can effectively work with others as many marketing professionals are responsible for participating in and even leading several teams.

Marketing managers must also be highly focused and detail-oriented, as many projects are set on tight budget and time constraints.

Most of the work of a marketing manager is done in an office setting; however, travel to meet with clients, work with various teams, and even conduct informational polls is not uncommon.

Top Skills for Marketing Managers

While the skills needed of a marketing manager vary slightly by field, it is important that these individuals possess a basic set of skills that can be applied to various scenarios, industries, and companies large and small. The most important skills that any marketing manager needs includes:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves the important ability to analyze situations and/or statements and assess their validity. This is a fundamental skill upon which many management professionals build their careers. This skill alone breeds creative thinking and, in turn, problem solving, which is exactly what today’s employers want and need.

Project Management

In today’s workforce, you don’t have to have the title of “project manager” to be one. In fact, marketing managers are frequently in charge of projects that serve as a response to social media and other customer engagement opportunities. So if you are interested in serving as a marketing manager, you had better start sharpening your project management skills in order to effectively lead your team and accomplish objectives.

Analytical Thinking

Effective marketing requires a thorough understanding of how different services and products perform in the market, which requires analyzing a vast amount of data. The best managers are also capable of looking beyond the data and identifying trends and patters that can contribute to more successful marketing efforts.

Holistic Approach

The most effective managers are able to think in terms of integrated systems and how they impact each other. It is important that you are able to see how all of the different parts of a marketing plan work and manage them effectively.

Technical Thinking

Being tech savvy is another important skill as a marketing manager, especially as technology continues to advance, according to Smart Insights. Customer engagement is shifting more toward technology-based options, so it’s important that you at least be familiar with what consumers want as well as the best way to deliver it.

Becoming a Marketing Manager

Step 1: High School Requirements

High School Courses for Marketing Managers

While most individuals think that college level course are the first that begin preparing them for their future career, preparation can and should actually start in high school. If you are considering a career in the field, there are several courses that you can take in high school to begin preparing, including communications, statistics, and even journalism.

Communications

Communications will help you develop effective communication skills to be able to effectively present information.

Statistics

Statistics is an important course so that you begin learning how to conduct and analyze information effectively.

Journalism

Journalism will help you develop effective skills for writing effectively in order to create strong ad campaigns.

Formal Education Requirements

Most marketing managers hold a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in one of several areas, such as advertising or business administration.

An undergraduate degree will help you learn how to apply marketing theory to real-world situations. Common coursework involves a combination of the study of the fundamental concepts of both business and advertising.

More intensive coursework includes studying the principles of management, business law, mathematics for finance and business, marketing research, advertising principles, and business statistics. A

bachelor’s degree will qualify you for most entry-level positions in the field; however, if you really want to set yourself apart from the crowd, you will need to go a step further and pursue a Master of Business Administration.

This will open up a wider range of opportunities for you and make you a more competitive candidate.

Step 2: Get an Undergraduate Degree

Bachelor of Science in Marketing Degree Program 4 years

Most undergraduate marketing degrees are four year programs that require roughly 120 semester credit hours.

Coursework varies by program but typically includes a combination of communications, economics, marketing principles, finance, business law, and research.

Individuals who graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing typically do so with an understanding of the relationship between different agencies and their potential customers as well as the field itself.

Curriculum:

General Education Requirements (45 credits)

College Writing

Statistical Concepts

Understanding Science: Principles, Practice, & Theory

Introduction to Scientific Analysis & Reasoning

Introduction to Macroeconomics

Introduction to Logic & Critical Thinking Skills

Intro to Ethical Analysis and Reasoning

World Religions

Introduction to Literature

Popular Culture

Film Appreciation

Introduction to Spreadsheets

Introduction to Databases

Learning Strategies

Speech Communication

Interpersonal Communication

Business & Professional Writing

Core Courses (60 Credits)

Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making

International Business and Society

Business Strategy

Introductory

Basic Management Concepts

Principles of Marketing

Consumer Behavior

Marketing Research

Marketing Strategy

Introduction to Business Information Systems

Supply Chain Management

Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business

Legal Environment of Business

Techniques of Calculus I

Calculus with Analytic Geometry

Introduction to Statistics for Business

Elementary Statistics

Industrial Organization

Marketing Techniques for Electronic Commerce

Advertising and Sales Promotion Management

Global Marketing

Sales Management

Services Marketing Management

Business-to-Business Marketing

Electives (15 credits)

Social Media Marketing

Marketing Internship

Search Engine Marketing

Customer Relationship Management

Digital Marketing Analytics

Global Marketing

Special Topics In Marketing

The cost of a bachelor of science in marketing degree program is $57,032 -- $187,152.

Marketing Manager Training Video

Noel Griffith is a Doctor of Philosophy with a strong interest in educational research. He has been an editor-in-chief of CareersWiki.com since 2014. Noel is an avid reader (non-fiction), enjoys good food, live theatre, and helping others make wiser career decisions.